Dave is a frequent CLE speaker on the application of positive psychology to law practice and the challenges of being a lawyer. Drawing on extensive background in K-12 policy leadership including service on the school board for Metro Nashville Public Schools, he also speaks, consults, and trains school faculties, school superintendents and coaches on applications of positive psychology in K-12 education.

Since 1987, Dave has led the mandatory continuing legal education program for the state of Tennessee. He has been a national leader in developing improved approaches to managing continuing legal education programs including Form1.org, an online, one-stop system for providers to apply for CLE credit from multiple jurisdictions. Under his leadership, Tennessee conducted the only state-wide, comprehensive speaker evaluation program ever by a mandatory CLE jurisdiction and developed management software now utilized by other states and the American Bar Association. Dave is also actively involved on a national level with efforts to certify attorneys as specialists and with lawyers’ funds for client protection.

Dave received his Masters in Applied Positive Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania in 2006 , his Juris Doctor from the University of Virginia in 1979, and his Bachelor of Science in Journalism from the University of Tennessee. He and his wife, Teresa, live in Nashville where he enjoys shooting archery tournaments with his two sons. They are members of Crievewood Baptist Church where Dave served as Church Moderator from 1998 to 2007 and has taught Bible study for both 8th-grade boys and college.

2 comments

Gorge VaillantNovember 17, 2009 - 8:51 pm

Dear David.

Great article and spot on. At the risk of tooting my own horn (Senia is this spam?) you might want to look at Adaptation to Life (1977),. What Karen calls icebergs, I call ego defenses. The book does a cheer for negative emotions; the two tricks are one, as you did, to make them conscious and the second to put them to work like your TVA’s flood control.

Thanks, George! I’ll take “spot on” from you anytime. I have not read adaptation to life (my bad), but I can tell I need to make it a priority! BTW, I saw the flood control works in the Snowy River country when I was in Australia — looked pretty cool to a Tennessean!

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